The Other Side of Night
by fiddlegal
Summary: Happily ever after? Fairy tale endings aren't always guaranteed.
1. The Other Side of Night

The Other Side of Night  
  
Disclaimer: Still don't own them… (Doesn't this get a little old?)  
  
Hey! I'm in somewhat of a good mood now that AP exams are over, so I thought that I'd write a somewhat depressing fanfic… Wait, that didn't make any sense… The point is, I've wanted to write this one since I got the idea for it earlier last week, but I didn't get a chance because of that stupid AP US exam (or because I have way too much fun inventing my new counting system with Ez and Rachel…). Anyway, just read my story…  
  
Oh, important stuff about this: Monica and Chandler have been married for about a year and a half, and Rachel was never pregnant at Monica and Chandler's wedding so she still lives across the hall with Joey.  
  
~*******~  
  
"Rachel, are you sure you don't mind taking Lauren again tonight?" Monica asked for what seemed to be the millionth time since she had gotten there. (Note to Ez: I was gonna go with Xylophone, but Lauren won out in the end…)  
  
"Monica, I'm happy to do it. You know how much I love your girls. We just can't risk this little one getting sick now, can we?" Rachel cooed to the five month old in her arms. "Don't worry about us. Ross said that he'd come over and sleep on the couch to help me if I need it. Phoebe said that she was gonna come by, and Joey said that he would even cancel his dates to help. You just go back over to Chandler and take care of your other baby."  
  
"Good night, angel girl. Mommy loves you." Even though she knew that Lauren was in good hands, she hated leaving her again. Monica reluctantly kissed her daughter and went back across the hall to help Chandler.  
  
Emma was recovering from a cold, and Lauren had been staying at Rachel and Joey's apartment so that she didn't catch her twin sister's cold.  
  
Chandler was sitting on the sofa, holding Emma, when Monica came back.  
  
"Is she okay?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Rachel has her, and she's fed and changed. She'll be fine." Monica said this more to reassure herself then to reassure him. "Is Emms asleep yet?"  
  
"Yeah, she just fell asleep a few minutes ago. But I don't dare move her yet 'cause I don't want her to wake up." Even though Emma had almost completely gotten over her cold, she was still very irritable, and Chandler and Monica did not want to run the risk that Lauren would get sick as well.  
  
"I think it's probably safe if we put her in her crib for the night. You know she'll wake up at 11:00 because she needs to eat."  
  
Chandler gives the baby to Monica, and they take Emma into the extra bedroom that had been converted into a nursery just six months before. They carefully lay Emma in her crib and turn on the baby monitor.  
  
"Mommy and Daddy love you so much, princess. We just want you to feel better." Monica covered Emma with a blanket, and Chandler turned off the light as they silently left the room.  
  
Both Monica and Chandler were exhausted from taking care of Emma, but they couldn't be any happier. They both loved being parents more than anything in the world, and they wouldn't trade it for anything. They went to bed with a feeling of contentment; neither one even dreaded the thought of waking up again at about 11:00 when Emma would need to eat again.  
  
"I love you Chandler," Monica whispered to her husband in the dark. "Thank you for giving me my babies."  
  
"You did all the hard work, Mon, you deserve all the credit."  
  
And as they fell asleep in each other's arms, listening to Emma's steady breathing on the baby monitor, they felt as though they were the luckiest people in the world.  
  
But their peaceful, happy world came crashing down as Monica woke with a start and didn't think twice that anything could be wrong.  
  
But she didn't hear Emma crying in the other room.  
  
She looked at the clock.  
  
4:30 AM  
  
Panicked, she listened to the baby monitor.  
  
Silence  
  
~*******~  
  
And that's chapter one… Please review. I know it's short, but this is a really difficult one for me to write. It's really, really depressing.  
  
Special Thanks: To everyone over at the CCAMB who helped me with this in whatever small way that you did. You guys rule!!!! *hugs Rachel, Ez, DMG, Julie, Cynthia, and Raimee* 


	2. Truth is a Whisper

The Other Side of Night  
  
Chapter Two: Truth is a Whisper  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them or make any profit from writing this. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the title for this fic comes from a song on the Rembrandts' album LP. The title for this chapter is a song by the Goo Goo Dolls. I don't own those either.  
  
Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter. I'm sorry that I couldn't get this chapter done faster, but it's really difficult for me to write because it's so personal and I really want to make this medically accurate to the best of my ability.  
  
One more note: When I was reading over the first chapter, I noticed that I had made a mistake that would make this completely medically unrealistic. I went back in, changed it, and replaced the last chapter. It's not a huge change. I just changed the time that Monica woke up. It actually does make a difference. I promise…  
  
~*******~  
  
"Chandler," Monica shook him awake, her voice reflecting the fear and urgency that was running through her mind. "Chandler, wake up."  
  
"What is it, Mon?"  
  
"I think something is wrong with Emma."  
  
That was all Chandler needed to hear. He was instantly awake. Within seconds, they were in the nursery. Monica took one look at the crib where Emma lay and started crying softly. She had never felt more helpless in her life.  
  
"Call 911, Chandler. I don't think she's breathing," she whispered, choking back the tears that were inevitable. Monica picked up Emma's body and sang to her, as though the song would somehow bring life back into the little child, and she anxiously waited for Chandler to come back into the room. There had to be a way for the doctors to save Emma. There just had to.  
  
*******  
  
"Why won't she stop crying?" Rachel asked less then a half hour later. "Ross, you're a dad. Can't you do something? Anything?"  
  
"I don't know Rach; I just don't know. I wish I did."  
  
Lauren had been crying nonstop for about twenty minutes, and none of them could figure out why. They had tried everything that they could think of, but to no avail.  
  
"Maybe she wants to come to her favorite uncle," Joey suggested. Ross glared at him, and Rachel laughed as she handed the baby to Joey, in a feeble attempt to lighten the atmosphere.  
  
Lauren, however, continued to cry.  
  
Rachel sighed. It was going to be a long night.  
  
*******  
  
It was now almost six in the morning. The sun was just starting to creep up into the horizon, inching slowly but surely towards its goal. In just an hour's time, the city streets would be busy and bustling as people got up and made their way to work. The early morning news was blaring from another corner of the emergency room waiting area, and the weatherman was predicting sunshine and a light breeze. On the outside, perhaps he was right. But you would never be able to tell from where Chandler sat.  
  
Monica's head was lying on his shoulder, as she slept restlessly by his side. Chandler was stroking her hair gently. They had thought that it would be best for them to at least attempt to get some rest before the doctors could tell them something definite. After all, in an emergency like this, it could take hours. But the truth was, Chandler couldn't sleep. He was terrified. What if she had to have surgery? What if she had permanent brain damage? What if… What if… He asked himself over and over, trying desperately to overlook the one question he dreaded most.  
  
What if she doesn't make it?  
  
*******  
  
"You're up early," Ross rolled his eyes as Phoebe pranced in the door at 6:15 that morning. "Why aren't you still asleep?"  
  
"I could be asking you the same question," Phoebe answered. "Are Rachel and Joey awake yet?"  
  
"Yeah. Joey's in the shower, and Rachel is in the rocking chair in her room, trying to keep Lauren asleep. She was up for over an hour this morning, crying uncontrollably. We finally got her to go back to sleep about ten minutes ago, and we don't want to risk waking her up again. Having that extra rocking chair brought into this apartment was a stroke of genius. Monica was right. The twins do love it."  
  
"Well, you know how much Monica loves them. She's such a great mom."  
  
"Yeah. She's the best."  
  
"You know what?" Phoebe exclaimed, suddenly making a connection. "I bet Lauren woke up this morning because of the ambulance."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ross said. "What ambulance?"  
  
"I was talking to Treeger on my way upstairs, and he was telling me that there was an ambulance around here a few hours ago. Sometime around 4:30 or 5:00 this morning he thought. Maybe that's what woke Lauren up."  
  
"Phoebes, you're a genius! I bet that's it." It made so much more sense now.  
  
Just then, the phone rang.  
  
"Who on earth would be calling at this hour in the morning?" Ross shrugged as he picked up the receiver. "Hello?" He paused momentarily to listen. "Chandler? Why are you calling here when you could just come across..." But he stopped talking and his face went ghostly pale as he listened to what Chandler had to say.  
  
"What did he need?" Phoebe asked as Ross hung up the phone and sat down on the sofa with a look of utter shock and disbelief.  
  
"That was Chandler calling from the hospital..."  
  
*******  
  
She looked out into the waiting area, dreading what was to come. She loved her job, she really did, but it tore her apart when she got a case like this one.  
  
"You okay, Ruth?" Her friend rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. Ruth shook her head. "You might as well just go through with it though."  
  
"I can't. Her husband isn't over there. I have to wait until he gets back."  
  
"Dr. Cohen made the call almost five minutes ago."  
  
"I know," Beth sighed and leaned against the wall. "And the worst part is, you can't give any explanations. It just happens and there's nothing else you can do. That's what makes it so terrible."  
  
She saw him walk over to his wife and sit down next to her, kissing her on the forehead reassuringly. She wished that she could go over to them and tell them that everything was going to be fine. Her heart was breaking for them, and she barely even knew their names.  
  
She took a deep breath and made her way across the busy waiting area, trying desperately to keep her composure. "Mr. and Mrs. Bing…"  
  
~*******~  
  
Please review or email me (fiddlegal528@yahoo.com) with comments. It would really mean a lot to me. And I'll try to get the next part up a little faster, but I have exams next week… So it just might have to wait until then. It all depends on the reviews… 


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